This in from the police, in their own words. Ed
Officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s specialist Roads Policing Unit are urging all motorcyclists and car drivers to be extra vigilant on the roads this weekend following the sixth fatal collision involving a motorbike since the current hot spell began.
With hot weather forecast throughout the coming days, bikers are asked not to be tempted to dress light, but wear appropriate protective clothing at all time – leathers where possible, high visibility tabards, appropriate boots and footwear, and take extra care on the roads which are expected to experience heavy traffic volumes this weekend with people getting away and a packed calendar of events on all over the two counties.
“Think Bike”
Car drivers are urged to “Think Bike”, and be extra conscious of motorbikes and cyclists on the road during this busy period when bright light can make visibility difficult.
Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley, who leads the RPU in Hampshire as part of the Joint Operations Unit between Hampshire and Thames Valley Police, said:
“Tragically, over the course of the last week, six motorcyclists have lost their life on our roads. This high number is, thankfully, very unusual, and it is important to note that the cause of each of them is still subject to investigation.
“However, the one common denominator of all of these collisions is that they occurred during this current fine weather. During this past week, people have been getting out more on the roads, traffic increasing, and it is set to be a very busy weekend.
“This advice is very simple and shouldn’t need repeating, but we need to do everything we can to stop these fatal collisions happening and protect our road users.
“We will have extra patrols of roads policing officers out on the roads across the county this weekend to try and keep bikers and motorists safe. We need to stop this horrible trend of fatals and ensure everyone enjoys the weekend in the sunshine without coming to harm.”
Two fatalities last night
Yesterday evening, two motorcyclists died in separate collisions in the county, bringing the total to six.
At around 3pm, a 24-year-old man died when his Honda motorbike was in collision with a Skoda Fabia at Fair Oak; and just after 4.20pm, another 24-year-old rider was killed when his Honda motorbike was in collision with a Ford flat-bed truck at Lopcombe Corner at the junction Hollom Down Road near Stockbridge.
The other fatal collisions involving motorcycles over the past week took place at Rownhams, Oakhanger, New Forest, and on the A31 at Alton. There have also been two other fatal road traffic collisions during this period.
Detailed safety advice for motorcyclists and drivers is viewable on the Think road safety campaign website at: http://think.direct.gov.uk/motorcycles.html
Image: Elvert Barnes under CC BY 2.0
